The concerns expressed by the NFL Players Association regarding contracts tendered by the Rams apparently have been resolved.
Rams executive V.P. of football operations and COO Kevin Demoff tells PFT that new language has been crafted to address the NFLPA’s objection to the presence of a Missouri choice of law and forum provision, even though the Rams are moving to California.
“The team’s legal move to California coincides with the start of the offseason program on April 18,” Demoff said via email. “As such, all contracts are still subject to Missouri law at time of signing. We were able to work with agents on a simple fix saying the contracts will transfer to California law once the team move is official.
“This really shouldn’t have been an issue given that all involved also believe that all of the contracts signed in previous years transfer to California as well. If that position was assumed by both the team and the agents, then it only logically follows that any contracts signed this offseason would transfer as well.”
This blended approach potentially allows payments made to players before April 18 to be processed in Missouri, which gives players state income tax savings, as Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News suggested after the union’s concerns about the contractual provisions first emerged on Saturday.